Rectum contouring variability in patients treated for prostate cancer: impact on rectum dose–volume histograms and normal tissue complication probability

Recent investigations showed some correlation between three-dimensional (3D) treatment planning dose-volume data (dose-volume histograms: DVH, dose statistics) and rectal toxicity for patients treated for prostate cancer. However, no data are available about the possible impact of inter-institute variability in contouring the rectum, so that the possibility of reliably using information from single-centre studies remains doubtful.Within a...